Project Overview

This project is actually two connected buildings – a twelve story, 230,000sf residence with 244 units and retail/amenities on the first level, and a nine story, 82,000sf office building. This B.F. Saul development is in a prime location, bordered by Clarendon Boulevard and Metro station and within one block from Market Commons. The pedestrian and vehicle traffic associated with the Metro and Clarendon Boulevard corridor, together with an existing building bordering the southwest portion of the project, created several logistics challenges for the masonry construction.

The building façade includes four different brick manufacturers and colors, in two different sizes (Norman size for the residence, Standard for the office), and utilized four different mortar colors. Over 466,000 brick units and 3,000 split face CMU units were incorporated. In addition, over 5,500 pieces of cast stone sills, headers, jambs, wall bands, pier wraps, fascia panels and wall caps were intertwined within the brick façade. The 1,200 lineal foot building perimeter was of complex geometry, including angle shapes, radiuses, multiple pier bumpouts, and two roof setbacks at most elevations, thus the detailing of the masonry and cast stone was extensive. In addition, 80,000 concrete masonry units were laid within the garage, amenity and roof levels.

The complex geometry created scaffold and material stocking challenges for Calvert. Twenty-five (25) FRACO mast climbing scaffold units, along with some swing scaffold over the existing building, were installed for the masonry skin work. Approximately 30% of the façade starts one floor above street level, on an elevated deck courtyard; thus the erection and dismantling of nine scaffold units, and stocking courtyard site masonry material later, had to be done either by crane or by employing multiple forklifts at street level and on the courtyard slab. To address the floor slabs between residence and office being at different elevations, Calvert had to build temporary ramps between the two buildings for material stocking purposes. Some of the cast stone pier wraps at the upper terraces were over 1,200 lbs, and their locations were not always accessible by crane. Calvert transported several of these units up the material hoist, across the floor and ramps, and then set in position by means of portable rolling platform and trolley beam systems. Flashing details were also extensive on the project. Skin/flashing coordination meetings commenced 8 months prior to start of veneer on the project, to insure proper interfaces with air barrier, window and precast systems. The masonry façade was substantially completed within a six-month schedule timeframe, which included the record setting snow and cold temperatures of the 2009/2010 winter season.